Kat Bryant

Making Tracks

No amount of preparation could have made my journey from Bismarck to Aberdeen a smooth ride.

I arranged for movers and mapped out my own trip weeks in advance. I worked with a planner at AAA to determine a route to avoid the Rocky Mountain passes in winter, since I don’t have a four-wheel-drive vehicle. I intended to head down through Idaho on Interstate 15, then across Oregon and north on I-5 into Washington. I knew what town I’d spend each night in during my four-day trip, and which motels there accepted pets. I even checked with my vet for suggestions on ways to keep the cats from freaking out on the road. As a 13-year Scouter and a veteran mover, I was prepared.

On Feb. 24, the movers loaded up most of my belongings — but instead of starting toward Aberdeen, they took my stuff to a warehouse to await a truck driver. Why? The one who was originally assigned couldn’t do it. So right away, the truck arrival time moved from March 4 to March 8. Yeah, that didn’t make me nervous at all. But I carried on; I was still prepared for my own trip, by golly.

That evening, as I relaxed with my big dog and three cats in a local motel, my father (who’s glued to the Weather Channel pretty much 24/7) called and said it had been snowing for three days in Idaho Falls, so I-15 was a mess. My AAA agent confirmed the information — but said I-90 was clear all the way through, even the mountain passes. So, at the last minute, I decided to bite the bullet and take I-90 through the Rockies and the Cascades. Instead of catching up on my sleep so I’d be fresh for the drive, I spent hours online making new plans.

It was snowing furiously the next morning as I packed my little Kia with everything I’d held back from the movers so I could manage until all of my stuff arrived in Aberdeen: pet essentials, some clothes, toiletries, my computer, my pillow, a sleeping bag, plastic plates and utensils, a towel and washcloth, basic tools, a file box with the things I needed at my new desk at work, and of course a winter emergency kit for the road. Can’t be too prepared, right?

Once my stuff was jammed into the car, I piled the cats into the front seat (each in a separate carrier) and coaxed Rose into the back, and we were on our way.

Day One went well. We stopped for our first doggie break near the Montana border, at Theodore Roosevelt National Park — one of the few things I will truly miss about North Dakota. A lone bison was on hand to see us off.

We stayed in Billings the first night, Missoula the second. There was minimal fuss from the kitties, and Rose was being a calm traveler, which in turn kept me calm and focused.

On Day Three, things got interesting.

I had intended to stay that night in Moses Lake, but as I approached the exit, I was still wide-awake and feeling confident. I pulled over and contacted my brothers in Seattle to tell them I’d decided to plow through the Cascades and get to their house that evening. Preparations were made; dinner was planned.

But 20 minutes after I cruised past Moses Lake, the guys called me back: Snoqualmie Pass had just been shut down because of an accident near the summit, and every room in Ellensburg would most likely be full by the time I got that far. The safest option was to backtrack. I spent the night in Moses Lake after all.

When I woke up the next morning, the pass was restricted to vehicles with chains, which of course I didn’t have. I could either wait it out or head south and go through Oregon instead. As I wrangled with that decision, I checked the road conditions again — and, wonder of wonders, the chain restriction had been lifted. I quickly packed up, and we hit the road.

It was a beautiful drive, except for a harrowing 20 miles through the pass. The cats sang me the song of their people as we wound through an endless series of S curves. On top of that, it was snowing hard, so visibility was low and the road was slushy and icy. But my winter in North Dakota had prepared me for that stretch, and I got through it unscathed except for a stiff neck and mental exhaustion. When we arrived in Seattle, I got all the furballs inside and took a nap until my brothers finished work for the day.

I was almost home.

Kat Bryant is lifestyle editor of The Daily World. Reach her at kbryant@thedailyworld.com.